Chelsea boss
Roberto Di Matteo has admitted he’s worried
Ashley Cole and
Frank Lampard may quit the club at the end of the season over their contract wrangle.

Unsettled: Ashley Cole of Chelsea (Picture: EPA)

The Blues duo will be free to discuss terms with other interested parties in the New Year, with both being out of contract at the end of the season.

Suggestion is that Cole, 31, and Lampard, 33, will only be offered one-year extensions to their current deals, which has reportedly alerted the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain.

Getting on: Lampard (Picture: EPA)

Asked if he was worried about what could happen in the January transfer window, Di Matteo said: ‘Yeah, but that’s the world of football. That’s how you live in this world, in this industry.

‘We had the same last season with some players and, at the end of the day, we all have to be professional and try to do our best, even though maybe the contract is not sorted out.’

However, the Italian boss has urged the Blues board to do all they can to keep England left-back Cole, who he insists is still a very big part of his future plans.

‘He’s a fit boy,’ said the Chelsea manager. ‘He can play every game, so he still has many years in front of him.

Di Matteo, did though, refuse to answer how he would have responded to a one-year contract offer when he was a player, adding: ‘That’s something you would have to ask Ashley himself or the club.

‘These are negotiations between those two parties. My point is that I would like him to stay here and be here with us.’